User equipment, such as a mobile telephone, a tablet computer, a smartphone, a personal digital assistant (FDA) or the like, may be supported at different times by different types of networks including a WLAN, such as a Wi-Fi network, or a cellular network employing any one of several different radio access technologies (RATs), such as a second generation (2G) RAT, a third generation (3G) RAT, a long term evolution (LTE) RAT or the like. In cellular systems, the network generally has been involved with and directed the network selection and mobility decisions of the user equipment. In contrast, the user equipment has traditionally directed the WLAN network selection and mobility decisions. While permitting the user equipment to direct the WLAN network selections and mobility decisions has been workable while the WLANs are relatively small and the user equipment is mostly stationary or has a relatively low level of mobility, the utilization of WLANs by cellular and other network operators has introduced complexity regarding the role of the user equipment in network selections and mobility decisions.
In this regard, cellular and other network operators have begun to utilize WLANs to increase overall network capacity in conjunction with the cellular networks. As the operators of cellular or other networks generally control the usage of their networks, the cellular or other network operators also desire to control the network selections and mobility decisions of the user equipment that are supported by the WLANs that operate in conjunction with the cellular networks. As a result of the control exerted by cellular or other network operators relating to network selections and mobility decisions, additional requirements for the WLANs and the user equipment that utilize the WLANs are being created. In relation to 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)-Wi-Fi interworking, the Wi-Fi Alliance has formed a Multiband Operation (MBO) task group and an Optimized Connectivity Experience (OCE) task group. Both task groups aim to improve the user experience when utilizing a WLAN. In this regard, the MBO is working to control admission to the network and to load balance efficiently between the BSSs in the same network or different networks within the same service domain, while the OCE additionally intends to improve the efficiency in the air interface by reducing the number of management frames transmitted and speeding up both the initial connection set up and handovers between BSSs.
As the cellular network will at least partially direct the network selections and mobility decisions within a WLAN in instances in which the WLAN is deployed by a cellular or other network operator in conjunction with the cellular network, the user equipment may not have access to all of the information that would be useful to the user equipment in participating in the network selections and mobility decisions. As such, the resulting network selections and mobility decisions introduced by a cellular or other network operator may be less desirable, at least from the perspective of the user equipment.